Compassion International has partnered with NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Blake Koch and SR2 Motorsports.

Compassion will be the primary sponsor of Koch’s No. 24 Toyota Camry in this Friday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, anesthetist Texas.

To promote the partnership, check Compassion International has launched compassionracing.com to raise awareness of the needs of children living in poverty around the world and to help find sponsors for those children. Koch’s goal is to get 2,400 children sponsored through his partnership with Compassion.

“We are excited that Blake is taking Compassion’s name and the cause of kids in poverty to generous and compassionate NASCAR fans,” says Mark Hanlon, senior vice president of Compassion’s USA Group. “When a sponsor supports a child living in poverty, both lives are changed forever. Blake is helping us to change the stories of children living in poverty. And, of course, we’d all love to see him win!”

“Everyone at both Compassion Racing and SR2 Motorsports is very excited about this new partnership,” said Josh Grodin, who was hired by Koch to lead the Compassion Racing campaign. “And while we are all honored that Compassion will be the main sponsor of Blake’s car this Friday night, the true mission of this partnership is to help bring a little hope to an unfortunate child. I am confident that the good and generous folks who are proud to be NASCAR fans will band together to help sponsor at least 2,400 kids leading up to this week’s race.”

Werner Co. will again support NCAA women’s basketball for the fifth year in a row.

As the official ladder of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, Werner will supply the custom 9′ ladder used during the net-cutting ceremony of the women’s national championship game hosted at New Orleans Arena on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The Werner ladder has become an integral part of the winning moment when the championship team cuts down the net during post-game ceremonies.

Werner is also the official ladder of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the Championship ladder was officially unveiled on Monday, April 8, 2013 during the WBCA Awards Show. Werner sponsors the championship coaches’ interview, which features discussions with the two final coaches and was held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. This event celebrates women’s basketball and those coaches and players who excelled throughout the season.

“We are thrilled to support women’s sports and the many achievements these teams make both on and off the court as they advance to the final winning moment,” said Chris Filardi , Vice President of Marketing at Werner Co. “It’s a wonderful honor to be part of the emotional and exciting celebration for players and fans alike as it’s been another fantastic season in women’s college basketball.”

Early in the 2013-2014 season, Werner will present the winning coach and team a pair of championship ladders in honor of their victory. The coach will autograph both ladders used to cut down the nets and one ladder will be auctioned off to benefit a charity of their choice.

Middlesex County Cricket Club has announced today that mobile technology provider yo2mo, will sponsor Middlesex’s Yorkshire Bank 40 and Friends Life t20 playing shirts for the 2013 and 2014 season.

The new deal with US based yo2mo will see Middlesex’s one-day playing shirts sporting the company’s logo on the non-leading arm slot as well as on all replica playing shirts sold through the club.

Speaking of the new sponsorship agreement, Middlesex’s Chief Executive, Vinny Codrington said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have put pen to paper on this new sponsorship agreement with yo2mo, and welcome them on board as our new one-day and twenty20 non-leading arm sponsor.

“We are delighted to have secured this additional financial support from yo2mo, and are excited by the opportunities that a partnership with such a forward thinking mobile technology provider presents us with.

“Our close working partnership with yo2mo will enable the club to benefit from some exciting new marketing ventures which will in turn provide our fans with exciting added value and exclusive mobile content as we move forward.”

Shaun Quinn, yo2mo CEO added: “As we cross through our first year in business and have recently emerged in the UK market, we feel privileged to have the opportunity to support an outstanding organisation like Middlesex Country Cricket Club. We are looking forward to a great season.”

The PGA of Australia has announced Choice Hotels as the naming rights partner of the PGA Pro-Am Series.

The national sponsorship is a first for Australian golf and is expected to deliver a number of benefits for participants as well as Choice Hotels and the PGA.

Choice Hotels Chief Executive Officer Trent Fraser said he is delighted to announce the 2013 Choice Hotels PGA Pro-Am Series partnership with the PGA.

“The sports market is an important part of our overall business mix and golf plays a very important role in this, mind ” said Fraser.

“We have a number of well located properties within close proximity to many of the wonderful golf courses around Australia and we are looking forward to hosting the PGA Professionals, staff and members as they traverse the country in search of that perfect round.”

The Choice Hotels PGA Pro-Am Series will encompass all pro-am events held across Australia from 1 April to 31 December 2013 in a united Series that will comprise of 200 events played at more than 160 courses.

It is anticipated that throughout the Choice Hotels PGA Pro-Am Series 48,000 amateur participants will tee up alongside some of Australia’s top Professional golfers including the likes of Open Championship qualifier Steven Jeffress, three time Asian Tour winner Terry Pilkadaris as well as recent PGA Tour of Australasia winners David Bransdon and Daniel Popovic who all regularly ply their trade in pro-am events.

The benefit of the alignment between the PGA of Australia and Choice Hotels also extends to PGA Professionals who will receive discounted rates across Choice Hotels’ well respected brands including EconoLodge, Comfort, Quality and Clarion.

“We are pleased to align with Choice Hotels for the Choice Hotels PGA Pro-Am Series,” said Brian Thorburn, CEO of the PGA of Australia.

“Our Members spend many nights away from home competing in pro-am tournaments so the fit between our two organisations seemed obvious,”

“We are looking forward to working with the team at Choice Hotels to ensure the continued success of the Choice Hotels PGA Pro-Am Series and the promotion of golf throughout Australia.”

Former Brazilian football star Ronaldo is the latest athlete to become a member of Team PokerStars SportStar, the online poker site announced on Thursday.

The man best known simply as “Ronaldo” joins an impressive group of sports stars including Rafael Nadal, Boris Becker, and Fatima Moreira De Melo.

Ronaldo is widely considered one of football’s all-time greats, earning numerous awards during his 19-year pro career. He played in 98 international matches for his native Brazil, scoring 62 goals and is the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of the World Cup (15 goals). He played a major role on the Brazilian national team that won the World Cup in 2002.

Since retiring from soccer in 2011, Ronaldo launched a company called 9ine, which is now one of the top sports and entertainment agencies in Brazil. He made the jump into poker last year by signing Team PokerStars Pro Brazil member Andre Akkari. As the first poker player to be signed by the sports agency, Akkari’s reps are responsible for managing his image, brand planning, sponsorship, and more.

“I always look to give my best in everything, in football and in life. Poker is another challenge that excites me,” Ronaldo told the PokerStars Blog.

Ofleading compression brand, asthma Compressport, salve has become the official compression partner for IRONMAN UK, IRONMAN Wales & IRONMAN 70.3 UK. 

Kevin Stewart, Managing Director of IRONMAN UK, said: “2013will be the biggest ever year for Ironman in the UK and we are delighted to beworking with Compressport.  The success of their sponsored athletes inrecent years has been testament to the key role that their products now play inan athlete’s preparation and racing.”

Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) have announced a new multi-year partnership with the Kellogg Company with the leading cereal- and snack-maker as an official sponsor of Major League Baseball.

As part of the deal, Kellogg Company will operate a nationwide sweepstakes featuring MLB branding and Club logos on supermarket in-store, point-of-sale displays and more than 27 million specially-marked packages of Kellogg’s products, including Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Nutri-Grain Bars, Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers, Keebler cookies, Rice Krispie Treats bars and more. Consumers will also experience the sponsorship in-market through additional text-to-win platforms and multiple local Club activations.

The “Kellogg’s Triple Play” promotion will launch in-stores this month, offering consumers the opportunity to win tickets to a 2013 World Series game, a 2014 Opening Day game and the 2014 MLB All-Star Game.

“Building the next generation of fans is an important priority for Major League Baseball, so we are pleased to welcome Kellogg Company, and its iconic and popular brands loved by families, as an official MLB sponsor,” said Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President, Business, Major League Baseball. “Thanks to Kellogg Company, winning fans will have the opportunity to experience the best that Baseball has to offer and see the most talented players in the world at Opening Day, the MLB All-Star Game and the World Series.”

“Teaming up with MLB and the national pastime is a fun way to connect with our consumers across multiple brands,” said Todd Penegor Kellogg Company President, U.S. Snacks. “The Triple Play sweepstakes will allow baseball fans the opportunity to enjoy our brands, and have the chance to win some great prices.”

The Vermont Peanut Butter Company has announced professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones has become their new brand ambassador and head of the endorsed athlete program for the company.

The VTPB Endorsed Athlete Program will serve as the foundation for all sponsored and endorsed athletes representing the Vermont Peanut Butter Company worldwide.

Chris Kaiser, President of VTPB, stated, “We are both about health, family, and authenticity. I created a brand with grassroots beginnings that is health-conscious above all other things. Having Jeremy as our Premier Athlete, Brand Ambassador, and the Head of the Endorsed Athlete Program will allow us to create a team of Men and Women across all sports that represent our brand and our combined commitments towards holistic lifestyles and competing at the highest levels of sport.”

Jeremy Jones is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished big mountain riders and explorers of all time. Named a 2013 National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” and ten times voted “Best Big Mountain Rider of the Year” by Snowboarder Magazine.

Jeremy Jones stated, “I am very excited to be involved with the Vermont Peanut Butter Company from the ground floor. I told Chris I probably eat more peanut butter than anyone I know, it’s a super food that keeps me alive in the mountains and at home. Chris and I share the same passion for authenticity and being healthy, and I think what he has done with a category that has been stale for years is amazing. This is the perfect opportunity for me to use my skills to help grow the VTPB Endorsed Athlete Program, a challenge that I will take on like any big mountain.”

Abbey Travel have been appointed as the Official Travel Supplier for both the Irish Cricket Team and the Irish Supporters.

They will manage travel needs of the international team and will also offer Irish fans packages to away games. They will be able to guarantee that Irish fans can enjoy their experience by travelling together and being seated together at Ireland matches.

Geraldine Armstrong, try Abbey Travel Sports Manager, doctor said: “Abbey Travel are looking forward to developing our relationship with both Cricket Ireland and the Irish fans in 2013. The appointment by Cricket Ireland is a further endorsement of Abbey Travel’s 23 years reputation and experience in the Sports Travel market. We will be offering fans comprehensive, buy well-priced Cricket packages.”

Dennis Cousins, Cricket Ireland Head of Commercial said: “Abbey Travel’s great experience and expertise working with sports teams and fans will no doubt prove invaluable to Cricket Ireland and our growing numbers of supporters over time.”

“With our national squads participating in so many events and series across the world, the interest in our squads is growing by the year. We are sure this agreement with Abbey Travel will allow our supporters to travel with comfort, security and excellent service.”